Contact one of the three major credit bureaus to place a 'fraud alert' on your credit records. (Equifax, Experian or TransUnion)

Contact your financial institutions and close any financial or credit accounts opened without your permission or tampered with by identity thieves.

If your SSN is compromised and you know or suspect you are the victim of tax-related identity theft, the IRS recommends these additional steps:

Respond immediately to any IRS notice; (possibly a 5071C letter) and call the number provided, or if instructed, go to IDVerify.irs.gov

Complete IRS Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit, if your efiled return is rejected because of a duplicate filing under your SSN or you are instructed to do so. Use a fillable form at IRS.gov, print, then attach the form to your tax return and mail according to instructions.

Continue to pay your taxes and file your tax return, even if you must do so by paper.

You can view the above steps along with additional information and links at:

Have you received call from someone claiming to be from the IRS threatening legal action against you? The IRS generally first contacts people by mail – not by phone – about unpaid taxes and the IRS will not ask for payment using a prepaid debit card, a money order or wire a transfer. The IRS also will not ask for a credit card number over the phone. Hang up and do not provide any information to these callers. Then report the scam to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at the link provided below.